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You first knew him when he was still a newly debuted hero - stunning the world with his quick wit, undeniable charm, and fascinating quirk. He was loud, proud, and social - and the media ate it up. ‘Hawks’ quickly became a name known by nearly everyone in Japan. Hero, civilian, and villain alike, everyone knew of Hawks and his accomplishments. Even debuting so soon, he wasted no time climbing the ranks until he settled comfortably in the 3rd spot, right beneath All Might and Endeavor. For some, it was impressive - to have that kind of will to be a hero. But for you, it was unsettling.
It was - ironically enough - the first time he’d answered a call for help in your vicinity that you got to see him in action, and oh, how terrifying he was. That friendly facade would slip and for just a second you got to see what was underneath. A calculating stare searching for any vulnerable point he could exploit to end this encounter as soon as possible. And in a storm of red feathers and sea of screams, the villain was apprehended, the ones who were rescued nearly stumbling over themselves to thank the winged hero. While you stood aside and observed - noticing how he drew his wings into himself sharply, and his smile looked tense. That was the first sign something wasn’t right.
-
The first proper introduction between the two of you was when he was off-duty, apparently on his way to pick up a late dinner after patrol (as he had kindly explained), and you couldn’t help but notice how his wings seemed to puff out slightly, as if he were preparing himself to be attacked. You’d merely nodded and tried to go about your way, but it seemed that you’d caught the heroes attention, hearing his footsteps echo after you as he tried to keep pace. There was a bit of awkward silence before he started to talk about his day - unimportant details, small things he noticed while people-watching, even how his back hurt after perching on a building-top all day.
You only smiled and nodded along in an attempt at being polite, mostly tuning out his words as you continued along the cracked sidewalk. You weren’t particularly the most social person, but he seemed lonely and more than happy to fill the silence between the two of you - and you got the feeling that he didn’t get to talk to people often. Sometimes it was better to tell a stranger something, knowing you’d likely never see them again, so you saw no harm in it. He quickly drew your attention when his footsteps came to a stop and a huffed sigh escaped him - causing you to turn your head to look over your shoulder.
And there he stood, his hands in his pockets, his wings drooping the slightest amount - just enough for his wing-tips to trail the ground - and his eyes the saddest you’d ever seen on a human. Lonely. He looked so lonely. So lonely and afraid, as if he didn’t even know his place or purpose in the world, only doing as he was told and never questioning why. He honestly reminded you of a child who followed every rule to a ‘T’, never placing a hair out of line. As if he were afraid of being punished.
“I’m talking too much, aren’t I? It must be annoying… you know you can tell me to shut up, right?”
Your eyes became something softer as you observed him, lips quirked up in a slight smile as you cocked your head to one side, eyebrows furrowed in a silent understanding. Nobody deserved to be that lonely. And as you looked into those beautiful, golden eyes - you could see the stars reflected in them. You slowly removed one of your hands from your coat-pocket, extending it out towards him -
“As a matter of fact, you didn’t finish your story - andI’m quite interested. Did the man find his hat? Or did he just continue about his day?”
Just like that, there was a smile that could blind the sun with its brightness - and a hand far warmer than your own intertwined its fingers with yours, and the two of you continued towards the desired destination. Or, to be correct, his desired destination - you’d planned on heading home, but you couldn’t leave him in such a state, plus you had to make sure the new hero was taking care of himself. And if that meant holding his hand and letting him talk about his day, then so be it.
-
After that chance encounter, it became common that Hawks would try his best to meet up with you after his patrols - the two of you always walking towards the same chicken place he seemed to love, sometimes holding your hand and sometimes walking backwards - while facing you - just chattering on about the interesting things he got to see that day. You always responded when appropriate, laughing at his jokes, and even smiling when that silent look of ‘ validation ’ flashed in his eyes. You got the feeling this was the real him, the Hawks that the public never got to see. The version of Hawks that was just a lonely teen, lost in the world of heroism, trying his best to make a difference.
And even though the two of you were still somewhat strangers, you couldn’t help but think of him as a friend.
-
Undeniably, there was a certain level of trust between the two of you - and it only grew the more you would simply sit beside him and let him talk about his day. One of his biggest displays of trust is when he’d turn his back to you, wings lightly spread, and he’d lean into your touch as you would help him preen. He would coo and chirp, tilting his head back with a smile, letting his hands move through the air idly - similar to a cat's kneading. It was a soft sight, and one of your favorites.
After the first few sessions of you helping him preen, he started simply sitting in your lap and nuzzling his nose into your neck, letting his head rest on your shoulder with a sigh. It was a position that let you better groom the base of his wings and it was also easier on him - as he occasionally would feel comfortable enough to fall into a light doze. It was sometimes easy to forget that he was such a famous pro, especially when he would shuffle closer to you with a whine if you even dare think about moving. It was so easy to forget how dangerous he could be.
-
The second sign something wasn’t right was when he’d be approached by a fan when he was talking to you while on duty. It was subtle, but you knew where to look - the way that genuine smile would stretch into something manipulated, those eyes now sharp and calculated, even his wings would puff out slightly and more feathers would fall to the ground around him. He’d put on a show for whoever approached him - switching to his hero persona instead of the Hawks you knew.
You’d merely smile and nod and pretend, just as he would - and when the fan would run off, content with meeting their idol, you would offer him a hand and intertwine your fingers with his own even if all you could feel was the material of his glove. Sometimes it was enough to ground him, to bring back that smaller smile you loved - and sometimes, it would only last long enough until you could pull him away from the public eye and hide him in the safety of your arms.
Those beautiful red wings you’d grown to love would flare and feathers would fall around you, something he did to make himself feel safe. Grabbing at the fabric of his jacket with one hand, the other would run through his wind-swept hair, hushing and cooing as he would fall fully into you. It sometimes threw you for a loop just thinking back to when you first met - strangers in passing, him looking for company and you enjoying the solace - and now you were safety and your arms were home.
-
The third and most intense sign that something wasn’t right was when he told you his name. No longer was he just simply Hawks the pro hero, he was Takami Keigo - he was your everything. And like all of his moments of vulnerability, it was when he was indulging his instincts with you. This time, it was nesting. Yo’d invited him into your small apartment and left him to get comfortable while you showered, and when you started your search for him, the sight you were greeted with almost melted your heart.
There, in the corner of your room (the one closest to the closet), he sat in a nest of your comforter, sheets, pillows, and even a few hoodies of yours. He was hiding behind his wings, a golden eye peeking out from behind those famous feathers - and even from where you stood, you could see the fear in his eyes. It hurt a bit to know he was afraid, either of you simply seeing the nest or perhaps the scene was reminiscent of a familiar situation. You merely smiled at him as you always did and made your way to the edge of the nest, falling to rest on your knees and extending an open hand towards him.
After you started getting closer to Keigo, you also started looking more into mutant quirks and how they potentially affected their users - and many that were animal-based claimed it was hard to deny instinct sometimes. You’d already accepted the fact as it was, especially as he grew more comfortable with you - and it was such a tender moment of trust and love to know he felt comfortable enough with you to nest.
The fear slowly melted from those golden eyes, and his wings retreated to rest on his back - a sheepish grin on his lips, his canines peaking out just enough to be observed - and he reached a hand out to grasp at yours, fingers intertwining as they always did. A moment's pause and then he was pulling you into the nest, something akin to a purr rumbling in his chest as he looked at you. You let him guide you to wherever he wanted, allowing yourself to fall into a particular clump of pillows - laughing softly when he gave an excited grin before falling onto your reclined frame.
Even as he nuzzled against your chest, you could see the smile in his eyes - the way they shined like stars, the soft gold filled with a warmth you wanted nothing more than to protect. His wings flapped and rustled a bit before settling, sprawled out to fill the rest of the nest either-side of both of you, stray feathers littering the entirety of the room. Raising a hand, you began to comb it through his hair, fingers carding through and dengangling it. You couldn’t help the smile you gave when he tilted his head to lean further into the touch.
You almost didn’t notice his tongue sticking out slightly in a blep, and you probably wouldn’t have if his chest didn’t start to silently rumble - much like a baby chick would when you cradled it in the warmth of your hands. Removing your hand from his hair, you let it rest against his cheek- thumb brushing against the skin, subtly following the patch of faint freckles that rested on both cheeks and even the bridge of his nose.
To think - going from strangers in the street to perhaps his most trusted person, it was very humbling. You knew he didn’t give his trust freely, and his heart was even more guarded, but somehow you managed to win them both. And as you lay there in the nest with him, silently listening as his breathing began to even out - a sign he was falling asleep - you swore to yourself that you’d do whatever it takes to keep him safe. Takami Keigo had given himself to you in good faith, and you would
never
let anything ever hurt him again.